When I read the papers and participated in the discussions during the
seminar I realized how wide theory is
as a notion. Theory is used in so many
contexts and therefore it gets quite confusing what the definition really is.
When you need to explain how to objects are related, a theory/theories is a way
of understanding it. How different situations occur can also be explained by
some kind of theory. Much of the knowledge we get during our education is based
on theory, ancient or modern.
When we read the text explaining, “What
is theory?” during the seminar I got hung up on a few sentences. They were
saying that if a majority of experts in a certain field, test and accept a
theory it can be regarded as true. It sounds reasonable but does it really work
in reality? I saw a documentary about the Swedish ex-series killer Thomas Quick
earlier this week and it made me think about the definition on how we can be
sure that theories a really true. The documentary showed that certain therapy
methods used on patients, based on the theories of a certain therapist, turned
out to be completely wrong. The therapist was liked by many of the psychologists
working at the clinic where Quick was treated; she was a mentor for them. Her
methods were used to receive certain information from Quick for resolving
unresolved murders and in the end Quick was charged with these murders since he
confessed. The methods used were based on theories that contradicted other
research in that field during the same time. This happened in the 90’s and this
year Quick was cleared of the last murder, he was innocent of all the murder
charges. Now, the psychologists using those methods back in the 90’s confessed
that the theories behind it was completely wrong, there was no truth in it.
This event really made me rethink on the way I believe theory to be true. These
psychologists believed it was true, and since they were experts in that field,
they convinced others to believe it. So even if experts say that a theory is
true, I believe it’s always important to investigate in contradicting research
to make a good decision. A belief in certain theories can sometimes have
devastating consequences.
Really interesting example with the serial killer show! It just goes to show how scary theory can be when wrong, and the real consequences of using wrong theories!!
SvaraRaderaGreat example from real life, Marit! It just proves that it is important to have some kind of tests, research and evidence that proves your case when you release or use a theory.
SvaraRaderaAt the seminar we discussed the phrasing something like that a theory can be said to reflect the truth if a majority of people believes in it. I think this is a good example of a case where this phrasing is proven not to be enough.